National Capital Radio & Television Museum

National Capital Radio & Television Museum blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)

One of the most comprehensive collections of historic radios and televisions in the United States, the NCRTV Museum exists to preserve electronic media, and foster an understanding of its impact as we zoom headfirst into the technological future.

Housed in a historic farmhouse, teeny rooms packed full of ham radios, old-timey telephones, and vintage TVs, as well as the more primitive incarnations of wireless telegraphy. Many interactive exhibits help explain the proving of radio theory, the transition from telegraph to wireless (radio) and secrets of broadcast sounds.

Exhibits on communication, the microphone, broadcasting and the Golden Age of the Wireless showcase an era of imagination and excitement that vaulted human interaction into an amazing new frontier.

Know Before You Go

From the North:Take either I-95 or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway south to the Washington Beltway (I-495) and head south toward Richmond. Take exit 19 East (U.S. 50) toward Annapolis. Travel about seven miles to Exit 11 (Collington Rd., Bowie, Rt. 197). Bear right on Collington Rd. for just less than one mile, and then turn right on Mitchellville Rd., heading south for 1.3 miles. To your right, you will see a museum sign and driveway just before a stop light (Mt. Oak Rd.). There’s plenty of free parking at the museum.From Washington, DC:Take New York Ave (U.S. 50) East toward Annapolis. After you cross the Beltway (I-495), continue on U.S. 50 east for about seven miles to Exit 11 (Collington Rd., Bowie, Rt. 197). Bear right on Collington Rd. for just less than one mile, and then turn right on Mitchellville Rd., heading south for 1.3 miles. To your right, you will see a museum sign and driveway just before a stop light (Mt. Oak Rd.). There’s plenty of free parking at the museum.From the South:Drive north on I-95 until the Springfield Interchange, and follow signs for I-95 and I-495 North (they are the same highway for some distance in Virginia and Maryland). You will cross the Potomac River on the Wilson Bridge and drive about 15 miles to Exit 19 East (U.S. 50) toward Annapolis. Travel about seven miles to Exit 11 (Collington Rd., Bowie, Rt. 197). Bear right on Collington Rd. for just less than one mile, and then turn right on Mitchellville Rd., heading south for 1.3 miles. To your right, you will see a museum sign and driveway just before a stop light (Mount Oak Rd.). There’s plenty of free parking at the museum.From the West:Take I-270 towards Washington, DC. When you reach the Beltway (I-495) proceed east. Follow the Beltway through Maryland and take Exit 19 East (U.S. 50) toward Annapolis. Travel about seven miles to Exit 11 (Collington Rd., Bowie, Rt. 197). Bear right on Collington Rd. for just less than one mile, and then turn right on Mitchellville Rd., heading south for 1.3 miles. To your right, you will see a museum sign and driveway just before a stop light (Mt. Oak Rd.). There’s plenty of free parking at the museum.

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